Needle actuating mechanism for straight knitting machines



NEEDLE ACTUATING MECHANISM FOR STRAIGHT KNITTING MACHINES Filed July 27, 1949 2 SHEETS SHEET 1 25 h g a E; 1 34 #35 57 J5 57 3 WITNESSES I -AZZ6I'%ZMR:OIIIZ, gwuimg BY W K A. FRIEDMANN Oct. 30, 1951 NEEDLE ACTUATING MECHANISM FOR STRAIGHT KNITTING MACHINES SHEETSSHEET 2 Filed July 27, 1949 2 i f A A A T56 \L Z/MMZJZMM:

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Patented Oct. 30, 1951 NEEDLE ACTUATING MECHANISM FOR STRAIGHT KNITTING MACHINES Albert Friedmann, Reading, Pa., assignor to Karl Lieberknecht, Inc., Reading, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application July 27, 1949, Serial No. 107,078

7 Claims. 1

This invention relates to needle actuating mechanisms for straight knitting machines of the Cotton type such as are commonly employed in the commercial production of fiat fashioned stocking blanks, wherein the needle bars are hingedly connected to lift arms for impartation of press movements to the needles.

In order to insure exact centering of the needles in the intervals between the sinkers, the hinge connections of the needle bars with the lift arms was heretofore made to a very close working fit. The fabrication of the parts thus entailed the exercise of great care and hence was correspondingly costly. Notwithstanding extreme accuracy in the fabrication however, lateral play eventually developed between the needle bars and the lift arms, with consequent disalignment of the needles relative to the sinker space centers and formation of irregular or distorted fabric loops.

My invention has for its purpose to overcome the several aforementioned drawbacks. This objective is attained in practice, as hereinafter more fully disclosed, by so proportioning the parts that substantial sidewise clearances are had at the hinge connections between the needle bars and the lift arms, and through provision of simple and inexpensive micrometer adjustment means whereby the needle bars can be finely adjusted, in the direction of the hinge axis, relative to the lift arms to properly center the needles in the intervals between the sinkers initially, as well as at any time subsequently to compensate for wear in the hinges when necessary.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary view in transverse section of a straight knitting machine conveniently embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a broken out view, partly in top plan and partly in horizontal section, taken as indicated by the angled arrow lines IIII in Figs. 1 and 3.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section taken as indicated by the angled arrows IIIIII in Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary detail view on a larger scale, partly in front elevation and partly in longitudinal section, taken as indicated by the angled arrow line IV-IV in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is a vertical detail section taken as indicated b the angled arrows V-V in Fig. 4.

The knitting machine chosen for the purpose of exemplifying my invention herein is of the multiple section type, and for the knitting of each stocking blank, has the usual series of sinkers 6 which are individually constrainedto endwise sliding movement in transverse grooves of a bed I which is fixedly supported by a longitudinally extending top rail 8 of the machine framework. The sinkers 6, it is to be understood, are slurred in a well known way by means (not illustrated) to cooperate, incident to stitch formation, with a series of spring beard needles 9 anchored upright in a supporting bar [0. In multi-section straight stocking knitting machines, two such needle bars ID are usually arranged end to end in rather close contiguity as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 in each section. Bolted to each needle bar 10, adjacent opposite ends thereof, are hinges II and I2 by which such bar is pivotally connected, for press movement, to the distal ends of horizontal lift arms l3 and I4 reaching inwardly from a rock shaft H5 at the front of the machine. Fixed on the rock shaft I5 with the lift arms l3 and I 4, is a pendent lever l6 which is actuated from the cam shaft (not illustrated) of the machine, and through which the usual up and down movements are imparted to the needle bar as required in fabric loop drawing. Bolted to the bottom of each needle bar at the center, is a pendent lever projection fork arm I! which is also actuated by suitable means (not illustrated) from the main cam shaft of the machine to rock the needle bar on the hinges II and H! for closure of the needle beards by contact with the presser edge IB on the sinker bed 1 as the needles descend to draw the fabric loops-all in a manner well understood in the art.

The hinges H and I2 for each needle bar l0 respectively comprise brackets 20 and 2| which are secured to said bar by bolts 22 and 23, and which have laterally spaced apertured ears in engagement with the oppositely projecting ends of axially aligned pintles or pins 24 and 25 fixed by set screws 26 and 21 in the bosses 28 and 29 at the distal ends of the lift arms I3 and M.

In order to make possible the lateral adjustment of each needle bar on the lift arms l3, M to center the needles 9 in the intervals between the sinkers 6 in accordance with my invention, I have devised the construction about to be described. The width of the bosses 28 and 29 of the lift arms 13 and I4 is made somewhat less than the space between the ears of the hinge brackets 20 and 2| as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The opposite ends of the pin 25 of each hinge l2 are diametrically reduced and threaded, as at 30 and 3| in Fig. 4, and, moreover, protrude beyond the ears on the bracket 2| for application of adjusting nuts 32 and 33 to bear against the outer sides of said ears. As shown, the nuts 32 and 33 are provided with heads for convenience of finger manipulation, said heads being peripherially notched and engaged by stop projections 34 and 35 at opposite ends of a spring element 36 which is secured to the boss 29 of lift arm M by screws 31.

' Due to lack of room between the remote ends of the two adjacent needle bars and the cross frames (not illustrated) by which a multiple section machine such as herein partly delineated is subdivided, the hinges I2 with which the adjustment facilities are incorporated are disposed at the contiguous inner ends of the companion needle bars, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, where they are readily accessible for manipulation.

Operation When leftward shifting of an individual needle bar is necessary to properly position the needles 9 relative to the sinkers 6, the nut 32 is backed off to required extent and the looseness then taken up by drawing up the nut 33. Rightward shifting of the needle bar is accomplished conversely, i. e. by first backing off the nut 33 to the required extent and then taking up the nut 32. In actual practice, the pitch of the threads and 3| at the opposite ends of the pin and the spacing of the notches in the manipulating heads of the nuts 32 and 33 is so ordered as to effect a needle bar shift of a thousandth of an inch or less for each notch stop of said nuts.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In needle actuating mechanism for a straight knitting machine, the combination of a fixed bed with transverse grooves for guidance of a series of sinkers; a needle bar with a series of spring beard needles to cooperate with the sinkers in stitch formation; a supporting member with a pivot axis on which the needle bar is fulcrumed .for press movement; and means carried by the supporting member whereby the needle bar can be adjusted laterally in the direction of the pivot axis relative to the said member to center the needles in the intervals between the sinkers.

2. In needle actuating mechanism for a straight knitting machine, the combination of a fixed bed with transverse grooves for guidance of a series of sinkers; a needle bar with a series of spring beard needles to cooperate with the needles in stitch formation; a needle bar lift arm; a hinge pin secured in a boss at the distal end of the lift arm with its ends extending beyond opposite sides of the boss; a pair of spaced ears on the needle bar pivotally engaging the opposite ends of the pin, with intervention of clearances between them and the opposite sides of the boss on the lift arm, and affording the needle bar fulcrum support for press movement; and means whereby the needle bar can be adjusted relative to the lift arm in the direction of the pin axis to center the needles in the intervals between the sinkers.

3. In needle actuating mechanism for a straight knitting machine, the combination of a fixed bed with transverse grooves for guidance of a series with intervention of clearances respectively between them and opposite sides of the corresponding bosses on the lift arms, and affording the needle bar fulcrum support for press movement; and means carried by one of the lift arms whereby the needle bar can be shifted relative to said arms in the direction of its fulcrum axis to center the needles in the intervals between the sinkers.

4. In needle actuating mechanism for a straight knitting machine, the combination of a fixed bed with transverse grooves for guidance of a series of slide sinkers; a needle bar with a series of spring beard needles to cooperate with the sinkers in stitch formation; a pair of lift arms; hinge pins respectively secured in bosses at the distal ends of th lift arms with their ends projecting beyond opposite sides of the bosses; hinge ears projecting in pairs from the needle bar and spaced to pivotally engage the opposite ends of the pins, with intervention of clearances respectively between them and opposite sides of the corresponding bosses on the lift arms, and affording the needle bar fulcrum support for press movement; one of said pins having threaded end portions protruding beyond the corresponding ears on the needle bar; nuts respectively engaged on the threaded ends of said one pin to bear against the outer sides of said corresponding hinge ears, whereby the needle bar can be adjusted in the direction of its fulcrum axis relative to the lift arms to center the needles in the intervals between the sinkers; and means for preventing accidental turning of said nuts in adjusted positions.

5. In needle actuating mechanism for a straight knitting machine, the combination of a fixed bed with transverse grooves for guidance of a series of sinkers; a needle bar with a series of needles to cooperate with the sinkers in stitch formation; a needle bar lift arm; a hinge pin secured transversely of the distal end of the lift arm with its ends threaded and extending beyond opposite sides of the bar; a pair of spaced ears on the needle bar pivotally in which the opposite ends of the pin are engaged, with intervention of clearances between them and the sides of the lift arm, to afford the needle bar fulcrum support for press movement; and nuts respectively engaged upon the end portions of the hinge pin beyond the ears, whereby the needle bar can be adjusted relative to the lift arm in the direction of the pinaxis to center the needles in'the intervals between the sinkers.

6. The invention, according to claim 5, further including means to prevent accidental turning of the nuts after adjustment.

7. The invention, according to claim 5, further including spring fingers to cooperate with peripheral notches in the nuts to prevent accidental turning of the nuts after adjustment.

ALBERT FRIEDMANN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,366,227 Zwicky Q Jan. 2, 

